In another thread, RfM poster, "thematrix," posed the question:

"Book deals and General Authorities--Is it big business?"

That question was prompted by an episode from "thematrix's" own personal experience, as he explained:

"My wife was given a copy of a president Uckdorf book by my parents for Mother's Day. It got me thinking about the financial side of book deals for these guys.

"I'm just curious if anyone knows the financial side and gain that these guys receive for 'writing' their pieces. When I was a TBM I believed that they wrote these books with all profits going back to the Church.

"Silly Matrix, profits are for Prophets.

"Anyway, perhaps [oosters here] might have some insight into this. I know an individual that recently wrote a pretty popular piece that made about 300k off of his book and he didn't have the name power that a top 12 does. I just wonder if part of the 'contract' of the Twelve is to write for-profit books by the prophets."

("Book Deals and General Authorities--Is It Big Business?," posted by "thematrix," on "Recovery from Mormonism" discussion board, 20 May 2013, at: http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,902064,902064#msg-902064)
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The answer, of course, is a big, fat YES.

When it comes to Mormon General Authorities and their lucrative LDS Church-book royalties, we might as well start with Church-arranged book deals for its two most recent presidents.

--Proof of Profits: Thomas S. Monson and His Money-Making Church-Book Gig

Earlier this year, RfM poster "Oh Tommy Boy" posed a specific question about Monson's worker relationsship with the Mormon Church and how that might play out in sales of his books:

“[Is] Thomas S. Monson . . . an employee (i.e. salary)?” That question was followed by details surrounding Monson's actual book-deal earnings:

“Below is the info from the Library of Congress from one of Thomas S. Monson's book.

“As an author myself, I am aware that a 'work for hire' does not require an employer-employee relationship, but an 'employer for hire' on a copyright application often (not always) does.

“It's interesting to note that he doesn't hold the copyright, but TSCC [The So-Called Church] does through its IP arm. Typical book deals have the author holding the copyright, and they license it to the publishing house or whatever for a period of time.

“There are other books that Monson has written where he holds the copyright and Deseret Book published it, so he, like other GAs, probably still draws royalties from said books. But for this project below, it appears he was acting as an employee.

?Nothing earth-shattering here, but it was intriguing to me as I know this process from registering my own works with LOC.

“'Type of Work: Text
Registration Number / Date: TX0005330861 / 2001-05-29
Title: Three gates to open / by Thomas S. Monson.
Description: 1 v.
Series: CES fireside for young adults
Copyright Claimant: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Date of Creation: 2001
Date of Publication: 2001-01-14
Authorship on Application: Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, employer for hire.'”

(“Thomas S. Monson is an Employee (i.e. Salary)?,,” by poster “Oh Tommy Boy,” on “Recovery from Mormonism” discussion board, 10 January 2013, at: http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,757272,757272#msg-757272)


Monson certainly makes his money through the Church. Since he has talked so much about how much he helps widows, one wonders if he's been supplementing the widow's mite with some of his book-royalty revenue.

Next.
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--Hiding the Financial Facts: Gordon B. Hinckley Fudges on the Extent of General Authority Living Allowances (including GA earnings from Church book sales)

Premier contemporary historian on Mormon matters, D. Michael Quinn, provides details on the big business of General Authority writing royalties in his book, "Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power" (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, 1997):

"Speaking of LDS Church-owned businesses and stock-portfolios in 1985, First Presidency Counselor Gordon B. Hinckley said that 'the living allowances given the General Authorities, which are very modest in comparison with executive compensation in industry and the professions, come from this business income and not from the tithing of the people. However, tithing was the source of these 'living allowances' from the 1830s until the Church's corporate success in recent years.

"Moreover, President Hinckley's description of the hierarchy's income as 'very modest' depends upon one's own concept of wealth.

"For example, when Joseph Fielding Smith died at age 95 in 1972, he had worked nearly all his adult life at LDS headquarters, first as a paid employee in the Historian's Office and then as a General Authority with a Church living allowance. At his death, President Smith had $245,000 in bank deposits, $120,000 in cash, $120,574 in stocks/bonds, and $10,688 in uncashed checks (INCLUDING DESERET BOOK ROYALTIES OF $9,636). Even 25 years after his death, few rank-and-file Mormons have such 'modest' amounts of cash and liquid assets available to them in old age."

(pp. 210-11, emphasis added)
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--General Authority Cash Cow: The Regular (Albeit Informal) LDS Church Money-Making System of Book-Sale Earnings

Quinn reports:

"Although not a formal salary, General Authorities can also receive significant income from the books they publish.

"When he published 'The Way To Perfection' in 1931, Joseph Fielding Smith specified that all its future royalties would go to the LDS Genealogical Society. However, he was not as generous with the royalties from his dozens of other books. For example, when President Smith died in July 1972, his royalties from Deseret Book Company totaled $9,636 for the previous six-month period.

"Presiding Bishop (and later Apostle) LeGrand Richards set a remarkable example by accepting no royalties for his 'Marvelous Work and a Wonder' which had sold 2 million copies by the time of his death in 1983.

"However, a president of the LDS Church's publishing company has observed that very few General Authorities have declined royalties for their books. Mormons purchase books written by General Authorities primarily because of the Church office the author holds, rather than for the book's content. Although many General Authorities do not write books, such royalty income is a direct consequence of being an LDS leader."

(Quinn, p. 210)
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--Accruing Inflated Book-Sales Revenue: The Mormon Church Use of Foreign Entities

As RfM poster Jim Huston reports:

"There [are] a number of ways that the Morg can shift income away from foreign subs to the main Corporation or vice versa. The information reported in foreign countries is most likely manipulated to show what TSCC [The So-Called Church] wants to show.

"By selling books, temple clothing, magazines and equipment to the foreign entity at inflated or deflated prices, the income can be managed and changed significantly."

("Mormon Finances and Charity," posted by Jim Huston/aka "nao crer," at: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CC4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjhuston.com%2FDocuments%2Fmormon_finances_and_charity.htm&ei=uwybUZ-lFLf64APCm4B4&usg=AFQjCNHnUIL6-gIJnPJpmMlrUqiyYOS3xA&sig2=ZTIxjoB-E2kzKEf2Z2WbQQ&bvm=bv.46751780,d.dmg0
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Finally, cases of other General Authorities and their royal-book royalty treatment.

--Disgraced General Authority and War-Story Fabricator, Paul H. Dunn: How He Prospered in Forced Church Retirement through Book Royalties

Jerald and Sandra Tanner, in their article, "Dunn in the Name of God," report on Dunn's rake-in of significant Church book royalties, even after Dunn had been exposed as a whopping liar and put out to pasture for having notoriously manufactured false claims about his life and career:

". . . [A]fter the [Mormon] Church had terminated Lynn Packer's teaching contract at Brigham Young University for pursuing the story [of Paul H. Dunn's phonied-up World War II exploits], he [Packer] provided information he ha[d] collected over the past four years to 'The [Arizona] Republic.'

"Despite Dunn's 'retirement,' his grandfatherly demeanor and down-home, self-deprecating storytelling style continue[d] to make him a popular public speaker and author. 'He also remain[ed] the most prolific author among [then-]current and former Church leaders. He receive[d] royalties from 23 inspirational cassette tapes and 28 books . . . . They [were] among the more popular items in LDS bookstores. . . ."

("Dunn in the Name of God: Confessions by Emeritus General Authority of the Mormon Church Raises New Questions about the Origins of Mormonism," by Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Thhttp://nowscape.com/mormon/dunn.htme "Salt Lake City Messenger," Issue No. 78, June 1991, at: http://nowscape.com/mormon/dunn.htm)
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--Mormon Book Royalties for Members of the Seventies: An Insider's Report from the Relative of a Mormon General Authority

The claim is made as follows:

"OK, [on] [t]he wonderful topic of GA salaries, or as they call them: a modest living allowance.

"I have a relative who is a GA. During my exit from the church he flew out to meet with me with the specific purpose of saving my eternal salvation and during our conversation we discussed the hallowed living allowance.

"Here is what I remember from our conversation as well as research I have conducted on my own.

"The Seventies receive the equivalent of 70% of the average of their previous 5 years earnings. This allows them to maintain the same standard of living that they are used to while working in their career field. They also receive perks such as business class travel which can be upgraded to first class due to their frequent flier status on various airlines. Also, they are encouraged to write books or have their journals/thoughts published and they are paid a premium in royalties for book sales."

("Mormon General Authority Salaries," by "TheDrive," 23 July 2010, at; http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Greater_Things/message/756)

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So, you can close the book on questions about GA royalty-earnings from their Mormon-Church writings.

Speaking of books, book 'em, Danno.



Edited 17 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/2013 09:46PM by steve benson.

Thanks for the response as always. I would love to hear up to date numbers on current profits from the living but of course, "they don't do it for the money" yeah right.

When I was struggling with my faith, I remember being really disappointed by John Groberg using his general conference prayer to promote his new (at the time) book.

"The Fire of the Faith" had just come out and during his closing prayer for one of the sessions he threw that phrase into the prayer. At the time, I was still trying to make my own faith work, but that prayer seemed really tacky and self promoting and inappropriate in the setting.

Interestingly, at least one of Paul H Dunn's books are still available from Deseret Book.

I remember after news had broken about his fabrications, I was walking through an LDS bookstore in my hometown (owned by family friends) and seeing Paul H. Dunn's books still on the shelf, I couldn't resist the urge to ask why his books weren't being sold on discount since they were works of fiction. Only received looks of distain from the other customers and the owner. They continued to sell his books at full price!

I have very few books written by GAs. $30 for a paperback book about gospel topics never sat well with me.